To those close and dear to me, please forgive me for telling you about my fire adventures this way. I am in sad overwhelm. I know you send me light. And yes I know all will be well.

I will skip to the happy ending… No was hurt.

The morning of February 4, 2018, I was in Brooklyn with my beau and suddenly my phone went wild with texts, e-mails, and calls. My neighbor on the north shore of Long Island exclaimed, “Your house is on fire, your house is on fire, come home.”

After a tense, fast drive out of the Big Apple, I arrived to find debris strewn over my property, gaping holes in my house and the overwhelming smell of smoke. The firemen had left already, but the Fire Marshall remained.

The spiritual center of my home is what I call the parlor. I meditate, journal and chill in this cozy room. This room was destroyed.

My studio, the spiritual center of my life, is adjacent to my house in a converted garage. 

Luckily, my neighbor heard the sound of the electrical fire starting, looked to my house and saw fire and smoke pouring out of the side of my house.

The volunteer fire department did a tremendous job of saving much of the house and containing the fire. Oh, do I want to take them all out for dinner and give them heartfelt thanks!

Walking through where my front door used to be, the Fire Marshal took me inside to view the damage. That is when I lost it. I saw two of my paintings in the water, in the debris on the floor.

I started sobbing. It was if one of my body parts had been wrenched from me in the fire.

When I could talk I asked the Fire Marshal to remove the paintings and we set them in a safe place to dry.

I believed my life’s work… all my paintings since I started painting in 1994 would have to be destroyed.

The sense of loss seemed unbearable. I could not fathom that all was lost.

New works not even seen by you… I would have to destroy.

Treasured old friends from my early years of painting…gone. Paintings already earmarked for upcoming shows…gone.

After many tears, getting my house boarded up and trying to make phone calls in a daze, I had an epiphany. I am an artist, I said to myself, creation is what I do…I will create anew.

Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, I will paint from the ashes.

The next day in my studio with no heat, lights or water, which meant no toilet… I put out a new convex oval canvas.

So what’s the story?

I am safe and sound in a hotel for now.

The structural damage was contained to a small section of the house. Smoke and ash, however, traveled.

I have been overwhelmed in the best way with all the love and light that has poured into me from near and afar.

Long-term, oh, I can’t think that far, but a few things I know. I will be having a kick butt party when my studio and home are restored.

Most importantly, I will be having a fire sale!

This loss has compelled me to move my art into the world with great vigor. Once I am certain any paintings you might purchase are in pristine shape, they will go back out into the world looking for new homes.

You will be the first to know about my fire sale.